After an adventure in Corolla, we stopped in for a lovely lunch at Upside! You walk into a unique and fun decor of the downstairs dining area. From the looks of it they open that up in the later hours for lounging and visiting. We were taken to their upstairs seating area that offers indoor and outdoor seating. We were greeted by our lovely waitress who took good care of us during our dining experience. Whenever I'm trying a new restaurant in a different city, I tend to look for something special on the menu not found locally. Well the Lobster Quesadilla jumped out at me immediately. This was filled with huge chunks of lobster, creamy cheddar & jack cheese and drizzled with an avocado lime crema. Oh my. The fresh tasting quesadilla thrilled every taste bud. We didn't just stop at the quesadilla. We also shared another unique item the Crab Cake. It was unique as it was crab mixed with Mac N Cheese then topped with chorizo! Say what?! I could've eaten about a thousand of the crab cakes but then they would have to roll me out of the restaurant. Upside Restaurant is a pure gem and I was happy they are part of my OBX adventure. read more

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Worst place ever! Completely empty deck yet they wouldn't seat our 15 person party. Only 12. Dishonest staff on the outside. . . Makes you wonder what's happening on the inside. Owner Hodge (claimed) was a long wait yet 25 minutes later all the tables are still empty. They obviously just did not want our business. Why is it so hard to find a place with people that want to work? read more

Excellent service from Veronica and great recommendations! Ordered the Sunburn drink and Scallops & Shrimp Pesto Pappardelle. Delicious!

The worst experience I've ever had in a restaurant. The most unprofessional manager with the worst customer service. They wanted to split our party up and have half of us eat separately an hour after the first group was seated, we had called to see if they could accommodate our party. As our party was coming in, no other customer was seated but they made us wait until the rest of our party arrived to tell us we weren't able to get seated. As a server with a decade experience, please do not come to this restaurant read more

Place is terrible. Awful wait times to sit and food took over an hour. 30 mins for appetizer alone.

One star is for bathroom availability. We arrived at 2:19pm with 10 people for lunch. Denied at the door because it closes at 3pm...40 minutes later... should just say closes at 2pm then. Hostess was rather rude and abrupt. Very disappointing, do not recommend. read more

Great spot for lunch or dinner I had the seasonal local fish and my wife had the southern boil both cooked perfectly. The service was and friendly and the view of the sound from The outdoor seating was very soothing with a great view of the sunset. read more

Upside Restaurant - I had the seasonal fish which was velvet snapper on coconut rice with a mild mango salsa. - Seafood Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

There are about zero upsides to the restaurant Upside. We order a chicken sandwich and a fish sandwich which were both COMPLETELY RAW and we sent them back to get an edible sandwich and then the next sandwich was also RAW! My son had a chicken sandwich which looked good but after he had to use the bathroom 8 times. Overall, the upside only has downsides, don't go. read more

Service was poor-food was good. I realize it's Corolla and the restaurant itself not touted as a wine spot but when asked about a particular wine, the server quickly admitted he didn't know anything about it but also failed in offering to get the question answered (which in my opinion speaks more to service than wine knowledge or lack of). The old fashioned -small but mighty (in terms of amount of liquor in it). I had the fruit & nut salad-nothing unique, husband had the southern boil (a dish of scallops, shrimp and white fish) and liked it. Sauce was tasty. Would we go back-not likely. Poor service trumps good food anytime, unfortunately. read more

Th Upside to this restaurant is that they offer a nice variety of food and beverages . . . try the strawberry basil lemonade cocktail- it's delightful. We couldn't help but order the lobster quesadillas, the mere sound of them was intriguing and we were not disappointed. Flavorful, bursting with large tender chunks of Cold Water lobster, our tastebuds nearly danced with pleasure with each bite. Incredible food, generous portions with great views from the scenic (partially covered) upper deck. read more

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Sadly we had a terrible experience. We arrived @ about 5:20 (20 minutes before they opened) and we were told it would be 1.5 hour wait. We weren't seated until over 2 hours later. The restaurant closes at 9. We had less than two hours to enjoy our meal. The kitchen has no ability to manage the amount of people and to keep up. We were served our salads after about an hour wait. And our entrees were served at 9 pm. We were the only diners left. There was no manager coming around to check on us or to offer an apology. They should not have taken our name to sit if they couldn't manage the volume. Our waiter was sweet but inexperienced and didn't manage our expectations. We asked multiple times for bread. The food wasn't terrible but not worth the wait. The staff were leaving before we were done eating. Overall not an experience I'd recommend or come back to. read more

The food was great service was great 10/10 in every aspect would 100% recommend, worked around my allergies to make me comfortable ambiance was great too. Shoutout to Ramiro he was a great server and checked in ofter read more

Loved it! The food was very tasty; I got the shrimp and scallops with pasta and it was great! The staff was very friendly and our food didn't take long at all. You don't need to dress up at all but the atmosphere is still very classy. My family always goes here whenever we go to the outer banks. read more

We've been going to Upside Restaurant & Bar since it opened. One of the Best places to dine in Corolla. We have never been disappointed with the food or the staff. Thank you for allowing us to always have a positive experience!! read more

We had to wait over an hour for a table when we arrived around 5:30pm, but the inside is nice and the service was great. I got a painkiller to drink and it was perfect. The appetizer was supposed to be buffalo chicken flautas, they came out and were BBQ which was fine but the shredded cheese on top wasn't melted, like they threw the cheese on top as an afterthought? That being said, my Tuna steak with polenta and green beans was very delicious! They did say it came with roasted tomatoes, of which there were two, but overall yummy. Prices are a bit high, not a whole lot on the kids menu so if you have picky eaters maybe try somewhere else. read more

This was some of the worst service I've ever received at any restaurant. We came in as a party of 10, which we knew we wouldn't be able to sit together, no big deal. However they forced us to pay gratuity, 20% because we had a large party. I believe since the waiter knew he would get gratuity he didn't care to wait on us. We watched him go in and sit with a man at the bar and chit chat when we would ask for things, like a straw, a box, the bill. We waited 20 minutes for anything we asked for. We tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but we were his only tables. He was so rude, it was awful. We paid $120 for a sub par meal, my manicotti was burnt, my husband's steak was dry and no flavor. It was awful. read more

We ended up at the Upside Restaurant after being jerked around by a neighboring restaurant, and we are so glad ! Cal @ the upstairs bar was fantastic (he ended up serving us on the deck) , the food was great! Our Apps. were the Hush puppies, Chicken Flautas and the Lobster-Crab Quesadilla , For Dinner we had 2 the Fish (Tile) of the day platters and 2 Of the Southern Boil's- all excellent! Thx again Upside! read more

We were desperate for out group of 13 to find a place to eat. It was hot and we had 3 kids. A local recommended Upside. It was awesome!! Had the shrimp and scallop pasta. It was delicious!! Would have given 5 stars but our server was lackluster. read more

We went here 2 nights in a row thanks to the relaxing atmosphere, friendly staff, creative drinks and delicious food. We had a little wait both nights but it was well worth the wait. We had appetizers, entrees and desserts. I can recommend the flautas, homemade hummus, crab cakes, chicken Marsala, key lime pie and peanut butter pie. read more

My family and I ended up coming here unexpectedly after we had a terrible experience at la dolce vita. All the other restaurants were booked up for 2 hours but they were able to accommodate us after only waiting for 15 minutes. The food was incredible! Everyone in our party raved about how good their meals/appetizers were! We sat in the bar area which worked out bc we had 3 kids under 3! The service was great also! Highly recommend! read more

HORRIBLE. Made reservations, showed up and they were closed for the day. The following day we decided to try again so we went, they seated us outside on an enclosed porch. We ordered our drinks and food, we received the drinks and have waited for over an hour. Unfortunately it was storming and due to lightning we were told by the owner we can't sit outside and have to leave. So we didn't even get to eat. Very rude. read more

1 hour into my wait for a po boy. If you come for lunch just order dinner. You not getting your food anytime soon. Wait staff doesn't seem to care. read more

Great place for lunch and dinner if you want an adult dining experience give the kids some money to order pizza and head there. They do take reservations for dinner, and have deck facing the sound. We opted (party of3) to snack on the delish apps have the amazing cocktails at the bar read more

Upside Restaurant - View out at the corner spot at bar with my rum punch! - Seafood Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

Run as fast as you can. Waited an hour and a half for a table & were deleted off the list. Staff was very rude & did not accommodate us or show any customer service skills. read more

The food is stellar and both the chef and bartender were willing to make small tweaks to the menu to accommodate us (adding muddled watermelon to the honeysuckle vodka lemonade, adding a crab cake to the caprese portobello vs shrimp or chicken). The food (above mentioned crab cake/portobello and bacon-wrapped meatloaf, specifically) were PERFECTION. (this is where the review takes a turn, but don't worry, it comes back swinging positive) The kids mac and cheese - eh not so much. I am normally a huge fan of al fresco dining but when we went last night, the sun was shining right in our eyes despite the umbrellas they have (suggestion to management: tilting umbrellas). Service was also sub-par. We ordered drinks and waited a w h i l e to get them, in addition to waiting a w h i l e to finally order our food. We brought games for the kids so it was fine but all of the timings (incl waiting for our food to come) did take longer than expected. I was pleased that we could walk right in to eat, at around 5:30pm. Some of the other restaurants had 2 hour waits so to be able to get reeeeaaallly good food with a short wait was a relief. The restaurant itself is nicely appointed. Looked like their deck could accommodate a couple large groups, but was mainly for parties of 2 or 4. The overall atmosphere was nice - live music from across the parking lot (and then right below us later on in the night), being able to people watching from above and getting a peak at the sound was all lovely. read more

Great drinks and my dinner (southern boil) was great. Only downside is my husband got the jerk chicken for dinner and the chicken breast came out a little dry. Everything else was great though. read more

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The service was horrible. My family and I waited outside for an hour. We then had to wait 3 HOURS for our food. Most of the food was cold when we got it, and received different fish than what the menu said was in the dish. I had a horrible experience here and the food was not at all worth the wait. Very disappointed. read more

Went in with a fairly large group recently and the waitress handled everything like a pro. The ambiance, menu and drinks were beautiful and well crafted. The downside is that it is a little on the pricey side given the portions, however, the quality of food is very good. I would offer this place a 4.5, but I cant, sorry ya'll. read more

This place was delicious! We came to the area looking to go to a different restaurant, but I'm so glad we wound up here! The food was great and the service from our waiter (Matt P) was first rate. Highly recommend checking this place out! read more

On June 22ND Brody served up hot, fresh, delicious lunches of an amazing crab cake for Cindy & an Açaí Bowl it's grilled chicken for my selection. Brody - thank you for excellent, exceptional service and an outstanding lunch today! See you in the Fall. read more

Like another reviewer I'm torn between a 3 Star to 4 star rating if I could figure it out I would say a 3.5 rating. First: The atmosphere was great. I loved eating up on the deck overlooking the sound and parking lot of Timbuk II. Second: The hostess and waiter were friendly and cheerful. The waiter did a great job and was in the ball. Third: The Hushpuppies were good however they are more of an appetizer for 1 not for 2 or more. We had more butter than hushpuppies. Fourth: The meal came out fast and was good, Not outstanding. I had the Fish Tacos which were okay but not the best (You'll need to go to Manteo for those), my first Taco tasted a little fishy which I questioned were fresh or not, tasted a day or 2 old, the second tasted fine. Would I recommend this place? Yes I would and will most definitely come back again. I'll try something different next time. read more

Upside Restaurant - View from the deck - Seafood Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

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I really really wanted to love this place. I have avoided it because of all the so so reviews but the location is so appealing. So....... Environment is very cool if you sit outside on the top deck. Inside is pretty much like any other restaurant. Service was good. The waitress was prompt and stopped by to see if I needed anything. Drinks....menu was diverse and creative. I went with a basic Kentucky Mule. The flavor was OK but the drink was weak and thus the flavors of the drink just didn't have the fullness you hope for and for 10 bucks I expect a stronger presence of alcohol. Food.....the most important aspect. Let's start with the water. It is summer time heat and humidity eating outside yet their is no ice in the water. So very quickly you are drinking water that isn't refreshing. Some ice would go along way. The menu for food like the drinks is diverse and creative. Perhaps though it tries a little too hard. Examples..... I had the hush puppies as an appetizer. The hush puppies themselves were good. The garlicky butter they are served with just didn't provide the right complimentary flavor for me. Perhaps more of a honey jalapeno butter would be better as it would provide a nice contrast. For the entrée I had the lobster quesadilla. I had high hopes. But all the flavors just blended together and the lobster itself while generous in portion just didn't have a lot of flavor. In the quesadilla you had cheese, lobster and some creamy sauce spread across it. All the flavors and textures just melded together. The shredded cheese out of a bag was not fully melted so it was an unpleasant texture. The salad it was served with had good taste but the lettuce was a little limp. It also had a bean salsa that was OK but needed a kick of flavor. I think my summary overall is that everything was a little bland. I want to go back because I love the location and the food isn't bad. It just isn't really good and the prices dictate it be really good. There are just too many other choices in the area in the same price range that are really good. My bill was nearly 50 with tip for lunch for one person. I purposely chose an expensive entrée believing that would get me the best they have to offer. PS I am semi local so I try just about every restaurant in the area. I love the location just give me some ice, a little more alcohol in my drink and some more contrasting flavors and textures and I would be here regularly for the location. read more

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We walked in at 2:15 and the blonde at the front shewed us away with the most monotone voice saying they were closed for lunch. Posted sign outside says closes at 3. 45 mins. Don't sign up to work a job you don't like having to do. read more

Such a great treasure in Corolla! The pimento cheese, onion dip and avocado dip were an awesome start! With amazing cocktails to choose from it was tough but I loved the Honeysuckle Lemonade! We enjoyed THE BEST crab cakes I have had (and I live where I can get the freshest crabs)! The evening was finished with a home made chocolate peanut butter "pie." It was more like a brownie but so delicious and enough to share between the two of us. I've been coming to Corolla before the Food Lion was even built. Eating here was one of the best meals I have had in the OBX in 30 years! read more

Upside Restaurant - Collards and crab cakes were AMAZING! - Seafood Near Me - Corolla, North Carolina

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My family visited this restaurant last month on vacation. During that visit, they charged us over $50 for 2 cocktails. After pointing this out, they supposedly refunded our card. We went home, and noticed that they did not refund our card, but instead charged us the same amount again. We tried calling them for days-- no one answers their phone. Finally, after a week, we heard from someone who said they would resolve the $110 charge. Then a month later, they charged us another $53 out of the blue. We aren't even in the same state, and they are still taking our money. We tried calling again-- no answer. Reporting this as fraud. Do not eat here. read more

This was a terrible disappointment. The restaurant opens at 5:30pm for dinner and we arrived at 5:15pm. We were the fourth party in line. When we finally got to the hostess stand (at 5:50pm!) we were put on a 20 minute wait. (The first party was a 4 top, the 2nd a large one of 16 or so, the third another 6 top and then us - a party do 7). We waited our 20 minutes and were seated at one of their outdoor tables. Within minutes of being seated we placed our completed orders - drinks, appetizers & meals. Our drinks were very timely and the apps (peel and eat shrimp & calamari) toon about 20 minutes. From there we waited over an hour for our entrees!!! On the meantime it had begun to rain (and was quite windy) and we asked to be moved indoors. They reluctantly moved us downstairs to what is typically their waiting area. We eventually got our food, but my husband had to get us silverware himself. We never got water again and we're a chair short, so my son had to sit on our lap. The waitress, who was being told off by another table of 7 with a very similar experience to ours never attempted to check on us again. For $338 I felt cheated. I will say the food was good, but the taste was overshadowed by the terrible wait time and poor service experience. read more

Loved sitting outside and upstairs, and our server Matt P! Tasty mac and cheese crab cakes, shrimp and salad.

Great food and ambiance! Friendly staff. Kids menu selections aren't listed on menu, but they have a variety of yummy options available. Excellent drink menu, too! Definitely add it to your list of places to try. We'll be coming back! read more

Stopped by on an overcast OBX Wednesday because my go-to once-a-year lunch place, the North Banks Raw Bar, had no seats left. First time in five years I couldn't get a seat at the bar with my wife. I was a little bummed out but strummed up YELP! on my phone and found myself sauntering towards Upside restaurant. I have now found my new yearly lunch restaurant. In fact I will probably go again this week. Yes, it's that good. As you all know, it's difficult to find an establishment that knocks it out of the park in absolutely every area. Well look no further. When we arrived, there was a 30-minute wait for lunch. We were not excited about that, but a customer that was also waiting to have lunch says, 'You will want to wait, it's worth it.' We took his advice and we are so pleased we did. Our server recommended cocktails for us that suited our tastes, which we had shared with him; unique flavors, colors and aromas! We had the crispy hummus appetizer and then we shared an order of fish tacos and lobster quesadillas. Every aspect of the entrees, the sides and the garnishes are meticulously designed. The flavors, textures and smells are perfectly orchestrated. This was by far the best dining experience I have had in years. Keep up the good work! read more

Great restaurant with a great staff but I will not be back because of a few reasons in particular. Their prices are extremely high and yes I understand it's the island price but I haven't paid that much anywhere else in the island; and the primary reason is they charged my grandparents a gratuity fee for a takeout order. We came and are and paid our mandated gratuity because of the size of our party but got a separate order to go for my grandparents who were too old for the climb so asked for them to be billed separate but when I noticed the receipt, they were charged almost $12 for gratuity. I do not understand how you can charge so much money for something that was never done! They simply prepared a meal and stuck it in a box for them. read more